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1998–99 Vancouver Grizzlies season

CTV Sportsnet Pacific

The 1998–99 Vancouver Grizzlies season was the fourth season for the Vancouver Grizzlies in the National Basketball Association. Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.

The Grizzlies received the second overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, and selected point guard Mike Bibby from the University of Arizona, acquired shooting guard, and first-round draft pick Felipe López from the San Antonio Spurs, and signed free agent Cherokee Parks during the off-season. The Grizzlies had a 4–6 record in their first ten games of the regular season, but then struggled posting a 13-game losing streak between February and March, as Bryant Reeves only played just 25 games due to weight problems and a knee injury. At mid-season, three-point specialist Sam Mack was traded back to his former team, the Houston Rockets in exchange for second-year guard Rodrick Rhodes.

The Grizzlies lost their final seven games of the season, returning to last place in the Midwest Division with a league-worst 8–42 record. The Grizzlies' 8 wins marked the lowest amount of victories by a team in a season since the league's inception as the NBA; the 6 wins by the Providence Steamrollers in the 1947–48 season occurred back when the league was named the Basketball Association of America. The 2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats later on broke the Grizzlies' record by posting 7 wins in its own lockout-shortened season (66 games), and subsequently held the worst record in NBA history ever since.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim averaged 23.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game, while Bibby averaged 13.2 points, 6.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In addition, Tony Massenburg provided the team with 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, while Reeves provided with 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, Lopez contributed 9.3 points per game, Parks averaged 5.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and Michael Smith contributed 7.3 rebounds per game off the bench.

The Grizzlies finished 16th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 417,966 at General Motors Place during the regular season. Following the season, Massenburg was traded to the Houston Rockets, and Smith, Rhodes, and Lee Mayberry were all traded to the Orlando Magic, who then released all three players to free agency, as Smith signed as a free agent with the Washington Wizards.

Draft picks

The Grizzlies' first draft pick was Mike Bibby, which was the second overall pick in the draft.

RoundPickPlayerPositionNationalityCollege
12Mike BibbyGuardUnited StatesUniversity of Arizona
256J.R. HendersonForwardUnited StatesUCLA

Roster

  • Brian Hill
  • Jim Boylan
  • Lionel Hollins
  • Jack Nolan

Roster Notes

  • Rookie power forward J. R. Henderson holds Japanese and American dual citizenship; he was born in the United States, but played for the Japan national team.

Regular season

Due to the 1998–99 NBA lockout, the NBA would see a shortened schedule for the 1998–99 season, as every team would play 50 games, compared to 82 in a normal season. The Grizzlies began the season with their best start in franchise history, as they had a 3–3 record in their first six games, the latest in a season that the club had a .500 record. Vancouver would fall into a bad streak soon afterward, though, losing sixteen of their next seventeen games, which included a thirteen-game losing streak, to fall out of the playoff picture entirely in a fast pace. Wins would be few and far between for the remainder of the season, as the Grizzlies ended the year with a record of 8–42, which represented a .160 winning percentage, their lowest in team history. Vancouver finished with the worst record in the league for the third time in four seasons.

At the time, the Grizzlies finished with the second-lowest win total for a season in NBA history behind the Providence Steamrollers winning only six games during the 1947–48 BAA season. Since then, only the 2011–12 Charlotte Bobcats have provided a worst win total (and worst overall record in NBA history) for a season (which coincidentally also occurred during a lockout-shortened season) than this season's Vancouver Grizzlies team.

Highs

  • On February 16, 1999, Vancouver defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 93–89 in double overtime, to even their record to 3-3, the latest they had ever been .500 in a season. This subsequently became their only road win of the season.
  • On February 23, 1999, Shareef Abdur-Rahim led the Grizzlies with 28 points, stunning the Los Angeles Lakers with a 93–83 victory, recording their first ever victory against the Lakers.
  • Notably, the Grizzlies secured victories over the Los Angeles Clippers on February 10, 1999, the aforementioned February 16, 1999 double-overtime game, and on April 21, 1999. This marked the only head-to-head series of the season where the Grizzlies won that season, let alone had more than one win in, which prevented them from attaining the dubious distinction of the lowest win total in a season.

Lows

  • On February 21, 1999, the Grizzlies lost to their expansion cousins, the Toronto Raptors, 102–87 in the first game played at the Raptors' new arena, the Air Canada Centre.
  • On March 16, 1999, Vancouver lost 87–85 to the Seattle SuperSonics, extending their losing streak to a season-high thirteen games.
  • On May 5, 1999, the Grizzlies lost to the Sacramento Kings 99–95, cementing their status as one of the worst teams in NBA history by only winning 8 games in a single season.

Season standings

Game log

50May 5@ Sacramento Kings95-998-4217,317

Schedule and Results Citation:

Player statistics

Regular season

PlayerPOSGPGSMPREBASTSTLBLKPTSMPGRPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
SF**50****50****2,021****374**17269**55****1,152****40.4****7.5**3.41.4**1.1****23.0**
PG**50****50**1,758136**325****78**566235.22.7**6.5****1.6**.113.2
C48411,11824336282826623.35.1.8.6.65.5
PF48101,09835048461823022.97.31.01.0.44.8
SG47321,21816662491443725.93.51.31.0.39.3
PF46069711730221216615.22.5.7.5.33.6
PG4605904510226220812.81.02.2.6.04.5
PF43351,14325723263948126.66.0.5.6.911.2
SF3003314722949711.01.6.7.3.13.2
C25147021383713827128.15.51.5.5.310.8
†SG2202712226537412.31.01.2.2.13.4
†SF1915577532320124230.42.81.21.1.112.7
SG14229425191678121.01.81.41.1.55.8
†SG1011231310423412.31.31.0.4.23.4
PG90126323702014.0.32.6.8.02.2
SF60397220116.51.2.3.3.01.8
†PF40428300610.52.0.8.0.01.5
PF4027510156.81.3.3.0.31.3
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Grizzlies only.

Awards and records

  • Mike Bibby, NBA All-Rookie Team First Team

Transactions

The Grizzlies signed free agent Cherokee Parks, who spent the 1997–98 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Parks averaged 7.1 points in 79 games with Minnesota last season.

The San Antonio Spurs and Grizzlies made a trade, with Vancouver sending Antonio Daniels to the Spurs for Felipe López and Carl Herrera. Lopez was the Spurs' first round draft pick in the 1998 NBA draft.

References

References

  1. [https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/VAN/1999.html 1998-99 Vancouver Grizzlies]
  2. (January 6, 1999). "NBA: Let The Games Begin!". CBS News.
  3. Wise, Mike. (June 25, 1998). "PRO BASKETBALL; 7 Feet 1 Inch of Potential at No. 1". The New York Times.
  4. (June 25, 1998). "Olowokandi Is the Center of Attention". Los Angeles Times.
  5. "1998 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.
  6. (January 22, 1999). "Grizzlies Sign Top Pick Bibby". CBS News.
  7. Wise, Mike. (February 4, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title". The New York Times.
  8. (March 27, 1999). "Raptors Slow Spurs, Retain Playoff Hopes". Los Angeles Times.
  9. (February 26, 2000). "Bryant Reeves Back on Injured List". United Press International.
  10. (March 12, 1999). "Transactions". The New York Times.
  11. (March 12, 1999). "Marbury Heads Home". Deseret News.
  12. (August 27, 1999). "Rockets, Grizzlies Set to Make 10-Player Trade, Report Says". Deseret News.
  13. "1998–99 Vancouver Grizzlies Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
  14. "1998–99 Vancouver Grizzlies Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
  15. "1998–99 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.
  16. (August 28, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL: ROUNDUP -- HOUSTON; Rockets Get Francis in 3-Team Deal". The New York Times.
  17. White, Lonnie. (August 27, 1999). "Rockets Set to Get Francis in 10-Player Deal". Los Angeles Times.
  18. Bembry, Jerry. (August 28, 1999). "Francis Gets Boot to Houston; In an 11-Player Deal, Grizzlies Part with Disgruntled Top Pick; Trade NBA's Largest Ever; At the Last Moment, Orlando Joins Mix". The Baltimore Sun.
  19. Wise, Mike. (October 31, 1999). "1999–2000 N.B.A. PREVIEW; The West Is Still the Best". The New York Times.
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